Babar Azam surpasses Virat Kohli's T20I record during PAK vs SA 3rd T20I in Lahore
The former T20I captain of the Pakistan side, Babar Azam, has surpassed the T20I record of the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli, through his special knock during the third T20I against South Africa in Lahore.
The former T20I captain of the Pakistan side, Babar Azam, has broken the T20I record of Virat Kohli through his series-winning knock of 68 runs in 46 balls with the help of nine boundaries that saw him guide the home side to a four-wicket victory over South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. They chased down the target after restricting the Proteas to 139/9 in the first innings.
Babar has been out of the T20I set-up of the national side for more than a year since the T20 World Cup 2024, where questions were raised on his strike rate as they failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the event. But on his return, he continues to find a good rhythm with the bat ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
After a duck in the opening Rawalpindi clash, Babar overtook Rohit Sharma’s record of most runs in T20Is. In the third game, he played a composed innings, which renewed confidence, especially against the pacer who struggled with a wet ball due to the heavy dew.
Babar Azam overtakes Virat Kohli’s record during PAK vs SA Lahore T20I
With his knock in Lahore, Babar now holds the record for most fifty-plus scores in T20Is- 40 (37 fifties and three centuries), which has now surpassed Virat Kohli, who has bagged 39 (38 half-centuries and one century). This was Babar’s first T20I half-century since May 2024 against Ireland ahead of that year’s World Cup.
Rohit is third on the list with 32 fifties and five centuries, while Mohammed Rizwan, the wicket-keeper batter of Pakistan, is behind the Nagpur-born with 30 fifties and one century. David Warner is fifth on the list with 28 half-centuries and one hundred.
Babar, who will now shift his focus to the upcoming tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, has notched up 4302 runs in 124 innings at an average of nearly 40 and a strike rate of 129 with the help of 37 half-centuries and three centuries at the best score of 122.
Tags:
